Closeted Heterosexual Deputy Chief of Staff Ken Mehlman?

Out of the hushed hallway encounters and one-on-one conversations, several scenarios have begun to emerge if Rove or vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis Libby is indicted and forced out. Senior GOP officials are developing a public relations strategy to defend those accused of crimes and, more importantly, shield Bush from further damage, according to Republicans familiar with the plans. And to help steady a shaken White House, they say, the president might bring in trusted advisers such as budget director Joshua B. Bolten, lobbyist Ed Gillespie or party chairman Ken Mehlman.

...Mehlman, who was White House political director before becoming chairman of the Republican National Committee, has been a key adviser, although some colleagues worry that bringing in the party chief might send too political a message. [ROTFLOL!! With all the shills and hacks in this Administration, what message do they intend to send?] Some close to the White House suggest Clay Johnson III, the deputy budget director who was Bush's chief of staff in the Texas governor's office, could be part of a reconstituted team. Attention has also focused on former White House counselor Karen P. Hughes, but she was just confirmed by the Senate as undersecretary of state and seems unlikely to leave.

Please, if the Chimp starts crying, he'll call Mommy Hughes in.

And Kenny Boy taking on Rove's role? As much as I'd wish for that -- it would provide endless use of The Picture -- but we'd be able to refer to him as Closeted Heterosexual Deputy Chief of Staff Ken Mehlman. Chances are he'll be DreiredTM, though, and would be out of the running in short order.

The article continues, and you get the sense the White House is a haunted mansion, with spooks and ghouls scaring the be-jesus out of staffers, who are paranoid about discussing anything related to people getting indicted, resigning or dropping dead (Cheney).

Some GOP officials outside the White House say they believe the president rejects the idea that there is anything fundamentally wrong with his presidency; others express concern that Bush has strayed so far from where he intended to be that it may require drastic action.

...At the White House and among its close allies, discussion about Rove's fate is verboten -- in part out of fear and in part out of ignorance about what his legal vulnerability actually is. No one in the White House wants to talk about an indictment. As another former official said, "No one wants to believe anything's going to happen." Nor do people easily discuss other staff changes. "Anyone who talks about that kind of stuff should be shot," said a third Republican with close ties to the White House.

Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.